Every ROSE has its Thorns
by ChillyIce
Summary: Roman entered Beacon five years before he met a girl in a red hood. He also had dreams and a bright future. His team was promising, a colorful ROSE in a cold world. A world with criminals and terrorists, but ROSE's also have a way to protect itself.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello RWBY community. This fic is a collaboration between myself and my younger brother. He doesn't have an account and wanted to write a RWBY fic, so I let him borrow mine. Please be nice as this is his first fic. And just in case there are any questions, this is a sort of AU since we know nothing of Roman's background and even if Rooster Teeth made something this would probably be far from it. We'll be updating tomorrow as well. And with that here's my disclaimer: RagingFire, my brother's penname, and ChillyIce don't own RWBY or any of the characters. We only own our own OC's and the plot. Happy Reading everyone!

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 _"The real world is cold! The real world doesn't care about spirit! You want to be a hero? Then play the part and die like every other Huntsman in history! "_

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Roman Torchwick put his feet on the seat in front of him. "You really shouldn't do that," the green-haired teen said narrowing his violet eyes at the taller huntsman in training. He was sitting next to the huntsman.

"You're just jealous that you can't reach the seat," Roman replied just as quickly. The other teen huffed at the dig about his short stature. Luckily, there was a lot of conversation amongst the many new students so their conversation was mostly private.

"Remind me again why you are my friend?" the teen said exasperated running his fingers through his spikey hair. He leaned back into his seat looking up at the metal ceiling.  
"I don't see many people lining up for that position. Perhaps because they can't see you so close to the ground, Alex," Roman said dramatically looking throughout the airship. The seating area was filled with students.

'Alex' crossed his arms, "Alexandrite, would it kill you to say my full name?" Alex looked annoyed at the other huntsman.

"Yes, considering how long it is I'll run out of breath," Roman replied and the two teens chuckled. They relaxed a little and looked out the window. Roman watched as the clouds floated by; the two sat in comfortable silence.

"So have you seen your parents?" Alex asked finally breaking the ice. "I know they went on a mission a couple of weeks ago." The teen looked halfway concerned on what his friend's answer would be. Roman didn't answer right away trying to find the words to say.

"Welcome to Beacon," a woman's voice said through the intercom system stopping the two teens conversation. Roman was a little grateful that he didn't have to answer his friends question. Roman turned to face the projection of the woman. She had short red hair with brown unamused eyes.

"Who's that?" Roman asked and Alex shrugged.

"My name is Cherri Woods," the woman continued; Roman went 'oh' as she answered his question. "You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing a time of peace and as future Huntsman and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. And it is our job to give you the knowledge and the training to protect our world." With this little speech, she disappeared.

Alex turn to face Roman to find him with his green eyes closed. "Seriously and they call me lazy," Alex complained.

Roman opens his eyes to reply, "That's because you are lazy." Alex frowned and pushed the other teen off his seat. Roman tried to use Melodic Cudgel to stop his fall but failed. The cane slipped on the waxed floor. He landed face first on the floor with a thud.

"You know what they say the bigger they are the harder they fall," Alex said chipper. He crossed his arms pleased at the turn of events.

Roman groaned as he sat himself up. "Excuse me are you okay?" a soft voice asked. Roman looked up to see a girl with blue hair and eyes looking down at him. "Did you need help getting up?" She asked in a voice barely over a whisper.

"Yes, gorgeous. I'm alright," Roman said as he got to his feet, dusting imaginary dust off his white suit jacket. The bluenette blushed looking down at the floor brushing her shoes on the ground.

"Roman, leave the girl alone," Alex said getting out of his chair and pulling Roman away from the girl. "Sorry, my friend.. my friend is strange." Roman nodded in agreement with a smirk. The green-haired teen then added, "My name is Alexdrite and the fool that can't stay seated is Roman."

"Hey, I resemble that statement," Roman said in mock hurt. He put a hand on his chest and made a pained expression.

The girl giggled, "My name is Lapis. It was nice to meet you, too. But we should be exiting the airship now." She gave a little nod to the two teens before walking away. "Maybe we'll see each other later."

"You heard the little lady, Alex. We should get off this ship," Roman said. He took the lead walking down the gangplank and onto the concrete courtyard of Beacon. The orange-haired huntsman put his hands on his hips taking a deep breath.

He looked at the towering spires that reached the blue sky. "So do you know where we're supposed to go?" Alex asked the taller huntsman also admiring the scenery.

"No clue," Roman replied. "Let's just follow everyone else." He followed the paved path that the other students walked.

"Do you believe those rumors about teams?" Alex asked looking up at the streetlamps and banners.

"Maybe. Anyone you want on your team?" Roman asked.

"Not you," Alex responded just as quickly with a smirk. "Or Opal." The green-haired teen said pointing to a girl. She was on the side of the path holding up a mirror inspecting her wavy white hair. She seemed upset and her pink eyes narrowed before she slammed her mirror into her purse.

"She's not that bad," Roman said, "I mean as long as she isn't the leader." The two teens chuckled at that thought. Roman held the door to the auditorium and Alex walked into the room. The crowd already was pooling around the stage. The pair were in the back of the room looking at the lit stage.

"Can you see the stage?" Roman asked Alex. He grinned at the shorter huntsman at the insult.

"Not funny, Roman," Alex replied not amused. He refused to look at the taller huntsman.

"Maybe you can ask her to put you on her shoulders." Roman suggested pointing to a tall girl with a half-shaved head.

"Not funny, Roman," Alex repeated. Roman nudged him with his elbow, pointing with his chin. Alex shook his head 'no'. Alex sighed before stomping away from Roman and to the taller girl mentioned. Lapis, who was on the other side of the taller girl waved at Alex. The green-haired boy waved back before glaring at Roman over his shoulder.

Roman waved at his friend before leaving his friend with the two girls. He walked backwards before someone cleared their throat. He turned to face a teenage boy with grey wrappings covering the bottom of his face and the top of his head. "You need to watch where you are walking; you can bump into someone," he said calmly without any malice.

"Sorry about that. I'll be sure to use the eyes on the back of my head next time," Roman replied.

The ninja-like teen smirked, "The name's Efin Pommei."

"Roman Torchwick," he replied putting his hand out so the other teen could shake it.

A tapping on a mic drew their attention. A man in a green suit and grey hair was standing at the microphone; Roman recognized him to be Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon. "I'll keep this short. You have all come here in search of knowledge and to acquire new skills and when you finish you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far." Ozpin stepped back from the microphone and Cherri stepped to it.

She gave a small smile to the students, "You all will be in the ballroom tonight and tomorrow your initiation begins. You may go now. I hope you enjoy your time at Beacon."

Efin had slunk away before Roman could offer to hang out with the other teen. Alex walked over to Roman. "They are not so bad," Alex said without a greeting. "Lapis introduced me to Peridot. She's a bit scary, but okay-ish."

"Look at that you're making new friends," Roman chided.

"You better line up or I'll run out of positions," Alex said in reference their previous conversation.

Roman smirked as the pair entered the ballroom. Students had already laid out their sleeping bags and some had already changed into their sleeping attire. Roman laid out his own sleeping bag and Alex did the same beside him. "So any clue on who you want on your team," Alex asked.

"No, not yet," Roman replied looking out at the group of future huntsmen and huntresses. A girl with yellow-orange hair tied into a pair of ponytails bouncing around with Opal. Opal's white hair bounced as the two girls bounded to their sleeping bags chatting away.

"Opal has always been able to make friends with anyone. I don't even think the other girl went to Signal," Alex said shaking his head. Roman thought he sounded a little envious.

"That's Opal for you," Roman said not really caring that the other girl was meeting new people. He yawned feeling suddenly tired. "I'm going to sleep." He laid himself back down and ignored any of the conversation that was going on around him.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey everyone thanks for the responses. RagingFire is really excited to continue this story. Thank you NoxDracul for favoriting and following this fic.

-Mr Ruffles- Hello Mr Ruffles, Thank you for your review. We looked back to the previous chapter and did notice that we introduced a lot of characters in a short amount of time, so thank you for telling us. We'll try to work on this.

RagingFire wanted to say thank you to everyone that has read.

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Roman woke up late the next morning to the sound of shuffling and conversation. He opened his green eyes and sat up lowly feeling a little stiff from sleeping on the floor. He held his torso up by his hands before looking to his right. Alex laid on his side curled away from Roman snoring loudly. Roman sighed as he got to his feet slowly. He looked around to see that most of the students were already dressed in their combat gear. He hurried his pace to the restroom at one end of the ballroom, his own combat gear in hand. Luckily, Roman had learned long ago how to change quickly, so he was out of the restroom within minutes. He brushed through his hair quickly as he walked back to where Alex was still sleeping.

"Hey, lazy butt, get up," he said nudging the sleeping huntsman with his foot.

Alex groaned as he opened sleepy eyes. "What's your problem, man?" he complained closing his eyes again.

"Is that how you thank someone who just saved you form expulsion?" Roman asked. "I'll meet you at the lockers," he called out as he walked out the door that just closed after a student. He walked through the clean halls of Beacon to the locker room. Many of the students had already left, but there were a few stragglers. Roman walked to where he left his weapon yesterday. A teen with black hair covered in gray wraps was next to him.

"Ethan, right?" Roman asked as he put in the combination to his locker.

"Efin, like the word fin with an E in front," the ninja replied closing his locker with a quiet bang. He strapped a large shurikan to his back. "And you were Roman, correct?"

"That's my name," Roman said pointing to his chest. "We should be on the same team. You seem like a nice enough person."

"Perhaps, I was just going to let fate choose," Efin said, "If we are meant to be teammates, so be it." The black-haired teen tugged at his wrappings nervously. "I need to get going."

Efin turn away from Roman and walked past Opal and the bouncing girl from the day before. "You left me," Alex's loud voice called out to Roman. The future huntsman held up his hands in an 'I'm innocent' gesture.

"I tried to wake you," Roman said, "You just were too lazy to listen." Alex narrowed his gaze angrily but holstered his dual pistols quietly. He pulled his black leather vest over his white shirt and lowered his wide brim hat.

"I'm ready if you are," the gunslinger called back to the other huntsman as he walked past the empty lockers. Roman straightening his bowler hat one more time followed after the other huntsman.

...

The wind whistled loudly off of the cliff, messing up his orange hair. Roman shifted on his platform uncomfortably. He had heard what Ozpin explained about the initiation and was feeling a little worried. While he could handle himself in any social situation, being stuck with one partner for four years kind of worried him. He could be paired with someone he couldn't stand and would be forced to work and live with them. He would have found it to be amusing that he was more worried about his fellow huntsmen than the creatures of Grimm that he was about to be launched into, but he only had a moment to think about it before the platform under his feet lunged forward sending him flying off the cliff.

Roman held onto Melodic Crudgel and his black bowler hat as wind blew his orange hair away from his eyes. Spinning his cane , he pointed the handle toward a tree and shot out the handle. It caught a large branch and Roman held tight as his arm was nearly yanked out of its socket. He made an arc through the air as he neared the ground. Melodic Crudgel's handle slipped off the branch and Roman rolled on the ground. He got to his feet and dusted his white suit jacket. He straighten his orange hair and hat, but it was still windblown.

The teen decided on an arbitrary direction and walked. He figured he would find the abandoned temple first and find the relic and just hope he ran into someone before then. Roman kept his senses trained to make sure no grimm decided that he made a tasty snack.

He stepped over the greenery a little grumpy, trying hard not to trip on any vines that littered the ground. "I hate nature," he complained to no one in particular. A rustle in the bushes drew his attention. Roman held up Melodic Crudgel prepared to attack whatever popped up. A large black bear with a bone-like mask stood on is two hind legs out of the bushes. The creature gave a loud roar. "An Ursa, huh. Well, bring it on," Roman said confidently lifting his cane to the bear-like creature.

He pull the trigger and a red-blast shot the beast square in the chest. The Ursa stumbled back a couple of steps with a pained roar. Roman shot another blast toward the bear-like creature. With the creature stunned, he hurried forward striking the Ursa's foot. He trusted his cane upward so the handle slammed the grimm's jaw. The beast roar and tried to swipe at the huntsmen. Roman stepped lightly away and the paw passed harmlessly.

"Nice try," Roman bragged slicing at the grimm's outstretched arm. The Ursa screamed and lunged its other paw at Roman. The huntsman blocked the attack with the shaft of Melodic Crudgel before spinning the cane so the barrel of its hidden gun was under its jaw. Roman pulled the trigger and the orange blast sliced through the bear's neck. The grimm's masked head fell behind Roman. The teen pushed the rest of the body away from him as it started to dissolve. It fell with a thud.

The huntsmen watched the body dissolved for a moment feeling proud of the kill. Roman put the blade back into Melodic Crudgel and started to walk away. Another rustle in the undergrowth startled him. He pointed his cane at the sound. A short girl stepped out of tree line holding what appeared to be a conductor's baton, she held it in an offensive position. Green eyes met violet as the two realized that neither was a threat. "I guess we're partners, sweetheart," Roman said putting his cane down. He gave a cocky grin to the blue-haired girl.

"My name is Operculina Hamilton, not sweetheart," the girl said putting her hands behind her back in a stiff posture. Her face was impassive even though her tone sounded annoyed.

"And I'm Roman Torchwick," Roman said leaning on his cane to help minimize the foot height difference. Operculina didn't look amused her violet eyes narrowed at his proximity. "Do you have a nickname? Operculina is a mouthful, sweetheart."

"No, you can refer to me by my full name," Operculina said stepping past Roman her blue military like jacket brushing the top of the grass. She stopped when she realized that Roman wasn't following.

"Olina. That's what I'll call you," Roman said as the idea struck him. He put a hand on the top of the girl's blue bun which was easy to do because of their height difference.

"Fine," Olina said pushing his hands off her head ",Olina is acceptable." She put her hands to her own head to make sure her hair was still impeccable which now that Roman thought about it was interesting considering they were both launched off a cliff. "The temple is in this direction. I saw it as I was falling," Olina explained as she walked forward her light blue knee-high boots crushing the smoking remains of the Ursa.

"After you," Roman said holding out his arms to the trees. Olina smirked amused and took the lead.

RWBY~RWBY~RWBY

Efin's pair of knives dug into the tree and he slid down. He put the blades into his giant saurian and started walking away. A loud peal of laughter drew his attention. Efin turned to face the noise as a bundle of yellow and light orange flew into him like a Boarbatusk. The ninja-like teen was knock to the ground, the air knocked out of him. He laid dazed for a moment, a heavy weight was sitting on his chest. "Hiya, my name's Saturn. We're partners now," Saturn said her green eyes sparkling over Efin's stunned face.

The ninja regained his composure. "Off. Can't breath," Efin said breathlessly. Saturn laughed again."Sure," Saturn said getting to her feet and straightening her full yellow battle skirt and fiddling with her armored blouse. The huntsman took a relieved breath. Efin got to his feet and brushed his own gray and black outfit off. "You haven't said your name yet," Saturn said tossing her yellow-orange pigtails.

"Efin; Efin Pommei," Efin said calmly, answering the girl's unasked question.

"That's a cool name," Saturn said. I really like that name is short and easy to remember. I wish my name was shorter. When I was very young, I had the hardest time learning how to spell it. Do you know where the temple is?" She spun around a little looking at the forest.

Efin had to listen carefully to get the important information from the mini rant. "No, but I suggest we keep moving. With all the noise you made, the grimm will come," Efin said. Although he suspected that the huntress's positive energy would actually deter any Grimm.

"Okie Dokie," Saturn said hooking her arm around his. Efin looked away a little uncomfortable. "Where are we walking?" she asked.

Efin pointed in a northeast direction hoping that it was the right way. He walked, her arm still holding onto his. "So where are you from?" she asked as if they were taking a stroll through town rather than walking through a grimm-invested jungle.

"Vacuo," Efin answered.

" How is Vacuo? Do you like it? It's mostly desert, right? It must be really sandy. Oh, I'm from Mistral, by the way." Saturn said. She took a moment to breathe before starting again, "I live on the west side of Minstrel. It's really swampy there but it wasn't too bad. Although it does make your hair frizz. I lived there with my sister until I came to Beacon. Well, she isn't really my blood sister; she is my adopted sister." The girl paused again looking at Efin who felt like he was drowning in words. "You kind of remind me of her. She is really quiet too. She doesn't even say a single word. Do you have any siblings?"

"No," Efin answered simply.

"You don't say much," Saturn said. She broke into a larger smile, "I think we're going to be best friends." Efin only smiled and hoped that she was right.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hi everyone, this chapter is a little late. School has been busy for my brother, so it took longer to pop this chapter out. Anywho, I'm sure you have figured who makes up team ROSE. So we have a little challenge for you. All four of these characters represent something and they correlate together kind of. So Roman Torchwick, Operculina (Olina) Hamilton, Saturn (last name would make this very obvious), and Efin Pommei.

Anywho, Thank you Mr. Ruffles for your review and yes, Neo will show up eventually. You can't have Roman without Neo. We agree that Neo is probably only a couple of years younger than Roman. And Roman is approximately five or six years older than the girls (except Ruby). This is a total guess on our part but it seemed plausible.

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Alex panted for a minute looking at the mass of smoking grimm carcasses. He tried to get his breathing to normal. The gunslinger holstered his weapons and spit at the beowolf by his feet. He pivoted and continued his way; he kept his senses tuned to any movement. The wind blew the branches of the trees making them creak ominously. The trees were becoming less dense as he continued forward.

Alex walked out of the forest, stepping into a clearing. Ahead of him were the remains of what once was a temple. He sighed in relief glad that the task was nearly done. He stepped into the clearing and walked slowly to the ruins. He had walked the entire way and hadn't ran into any one else yet. "What do I do now? Would I get kicked out because I don't have a partner?" he asked himself looking at the relics (which looked a lot like chess pieces). There weren't many left, a pair of bishops and pawns, in fact. He turned as a noise from the tree line reached his ears. He cocked his dual pistols ready to fire at whatever creature that would appear. He narrowed his violet eyes at the twitching bushes. "Roman, this isn't funny," he called out annoyed and slightly worried it was a grimm.

"I'm so sick of this jungle," a female voice said drifting to Alex as the owner stumbled out of the forest. She pulled out twigs from her wavy white hair. Her pink eyes looked really unamused as her face was twisted into a scowl.

"You have a partner, Opal?" Alex asked hoping that she answered 'yes'. He really was hoping and maybe praying. She was brushing through her pale locks as he asked the question. He thought for a moment she didn't hear him as she continued to fuss with her hair for a couple more seconds. She paused in her tidying to pick up her head.

"I do now," she said when his violet eyes met her pink ones. She gave a winning smile as she walked to the gunslinger. Alex groaned a little before she got close enough to hear.

"Yay, for me," he said with sarcasm rolling his eyes. He wondered what he did to deserve this punishment.

"All this mud is going to stain my outfit," Opal complained pointing to her white shirt with light pink shorts which was spotted with mud. Alex wondered if she was even listening to him or even talking to him. She stepped into the ruins so Alex could see up close. She pointed to the offending patches of dirt, so he figured that she was speaking to her. Alex looked at the splotches uninterested.

"Why wear white in a forest? And much less to fight," Alex asked his distain barely audible. "You're just asking for them to be stained." He crossed his arms annoyed.

"Because I look absolutely adorable," Opal answered with a pose. She returned to her normal posture quickly. "Have you picked a relic yet?"

"No, not yet. Which do you want? I don't really care what we get," Alex answered as Opal walked to stand in front of the relics. He watched uninterested as she paced. She put a hand to her chin as if she was in deep thought. He leaned back nonchalantly.

She looked over the pedestals, "I'll pick Mr. Pointy-head." The girl picked up one of the white bishop pieces. She looked at it pleased with her choice. She stood in another ridiculous pose with the piece high in the air.

"That is a bishop piece," Alex corrected with a groan. He wondered how stupid she could be.

"Potato- Patato," Opal said without a care. She put it in her pocket. Alex sighed realizing that it was going to be a long four years.

RWBY~RWBY~RWBY

Roman followed Olina out of the forest and toward a crumbly set of ruins. The two didn't speak much as she marched through the forest. It wasn't that they were angry with the other; silence seemed easier than awkward small talk or the short answers that the girl gave the charismatic Roman. Roman examined the former temple as they neared it. The gray stones of the temple looked like they were barely standing. Roman wondered if there was something of more value hiding within the piles of rubble; he also wondered if the girl would mind spending some time shifting through the stones for said valuables. Besides the poor state of the ruins,t he one thing that stood out was the semi-circle of pedestals. A couple of the pedestals held small objects. "Chess pieces," Roman commented looking at the few remaining pieces.

"It looks like a lot of people already got here," Olina stated looking at the remaining pieces. Her expression said she was disappointed at that result. He rolled his eyes; from what little time he spent with her, he was certain she was an Atlas robot. Roman looked down at the girl unsure of what to do. She stood beside him as if waiting for him to choose. The two probably looked foolish waiting for the other to speak. A brief flicker of violet confirmed that she was waiting for him to speak just like how he was waiting for her to do likewise.

"Lady's choice. Pick one, Olina," Roman said watching the huntress examine the pieces; it couldn't be said that he wasn't a gentleman. He gave her a charming smile which she seemed to have not noticed. Roman frowned the girls at Signal always swooned for that look. He watched as she marched from her spot beside him with measured steps to a single pedestal. He almost forgotten that she was most definitely a robot.

The blue-haired teen picked up a white pawn, "Not exactly my favorite piece, but it's a relic." She frowned as she held it in her hand. She rolled it in her hand before tossing it a little and putting it into one of her pockets.

"So you play chess," Roman said glad that he had some topic to talk about. The girl shrugged as she walked back to him " I'm a bit of a chess master as well," Roman said leaning on his cane giving her another one of his smiles. "One of the best strategist of Signal," he bragged.

Olina raised an eyebrow, "I highly doubt that. I fully expect a game when initiation is over." She smirked putting her hands on her hips. The challenge was clearly thee in her words making Roman excited that

"Just be prepared to lose," Roman said with a similar smirk. Roman led the way this time as the pair left the ruins to return back to the cliffs.

RWBY~RWBY~RWBY

Efin watched as Saturn darted from one piece to the other. He wondered if her speed was her semblance or if she was just that naturally quick on her feet."I can't decide," Saturn said a little stressed pulling at her pair of ponytails. Efin looked between the white pawn and bishop as she continued her path. He was clearly confused on why the girl seemed distressed.

"There's only two pieces," Efin commented, not seeing how the limited choices could make it so hard. He did have to admit it was amusing to watch her try to come up with an answer.

"I know that's why it's hard. I can't pick. Choose one," Saturn said dropping to her knees as if she no longer had the energy to think about it more. Efin padded to the white pawn and picked it up. "Oooo, why did you pick that one?" she asked popping up next to the piece in his hand;her green eyes stared at the piece. The earlier distress long was long gone.

"Pawns have the potential to become something great. Although, at first, it seems weak," Efin explained calmly admiring the piece. He looked to see the girl's response only to see empty air. He only had to turn around to see the pony-tailed girl talking to a new pair of girls, one with blue hair and the other with a half head of green hair. She was so animated in speaking to the pair turning so she could wave excitedly to him.

"Hey Efin, this is Lapis and Peridot," Saturn said pointing to the blue-haired girl first before the taller girl. Efin recognized Peridot from combat school; she was one of the top students. He didn't actually talk to her, but the huntress wasn't a bad person. Lapis on the other hand looked familiar, but he couldn't be entirely sure. He wondered if she too went to combat school with him. " Oh, we should get to the cliffs before it gets dark," Saturn said skipping to Efin and started pulling his arm. "See you later Lapis, Peridot," she called over her shoulders as she continued to pull at the ninja. Efin just followed her tugging at a slower rate than she wanted to go.  
"It was nice to meet you," Peridot said as Lapis waved as well. The girls picked up the last piece and turned back to the forest following after Saturn and Efin.

RWBY~RWBY~ RWBY~

Roman frowned as he stepped into a soggy patch of ground. He stepped back to inspect his shoes which were caked with mud. Olina stopped beside him looking confused. "It shouldn't be muddy here," Roman commented out loud, "It hasn't rained in days." He scanned the trees for the source of the wet patch of dirt. His blood chilled in fear when his eyes caught sight of it.

Hanging from a branch overhead was a dismembered arm dripping blood. "Olina," he said trying to portray calmness. The girl looked up at what Roman's green eyes caught sight of. There wasn't much reaction from her maybe the slightest widening of her eyes. "Let's back away slowly; Keep calm. Maybe the Grimm is gone already," Roman whispered. Olina nodded that she understood. The two took measured steps backwards from the arm. Both of their bodies were clearly tense.

The sound of gunfire drew both huntsmen attention. Olina didn't say a word as she broke from Roman's side and darted to where the sound came from. "Wait, Olina," Roman called out as he ran after the girl. He kept watch on the girl's uniformed back as she ignored his calls.

The gunfire increase in frequency and volume as the two ran through the forest. The girl jumped over a fallen tree sweeping her baton-like weapon in an arc in front of her. Icicles formed in front of the girl and shot forward. Roman jumped over the same tree as Olina landed. He saw what the girl's attack hit; a large panther-like Grimm was pinned by clusters of ice around each paw. It was taller than himself with its mouth wide in front of another huntress.

The beast's gaping mouth closed missing a girl with a half-shaved hair. Roman recognized the unique hairstyle but couldn't remember the name that went with it. He didn't have time to ask; a loud roar and the sound of shattering glass indicated the Grimm's release. The unnamed girl got to her feet running away from the large grim. Roman saw her run to a previously unseen girl throwing her roughly over her shoulders. This one Roman recognize; he had met her on the airship; her name escaped him for a moment. "Olina, we're making a strategic retreat," he called out to the girl who stood bravely in between the Grimm and the two girls even though the Grimm easily dwarfed her. The girl was dodging the paws of the grim distracting it from the injured girls. Roman took aim and shot the Grimm square in its mask face.

Olina took this time to freeze the beast again turning heel and following the two other girls as they ran past the huntsman who continued firing until Olina passed by. Roman turned and followed. He tried not to pass Olina with his longer strides. An angry yowl made the partners turn around. Roman shot a fiery blast and Olina sent a small tornado wind at the blast. The two attacks collided; the wind fed the fire into a blaze.

The fire died down when another dust shot struck it through its leg. Roman glanced quickly to see that the green-haired girl was responsible for the shot. She had the other girl draped over her shoulders as she held a rifle in her hands. "Okay we're making a stand here. Keep firing at its legs to keep it off balance. Olina, step behind me and cover my back. I'll go close quarters," Roman ordered before narrowing his eyes for the fight ahead.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hi everyone, I hope you are all doing well. School has been busy for my brother, but he really wanted to give you all something. So at long last, here is the next chapter. Once again, Can you figure out what each OC in ROSE represents?

Thank you, Nobody95 for following.

-Mr Ruffles- Hello our favorite guest, I'm glad you are enjoying Saturn and Efin. They do have a Nora/ Ren feel to them. And as far as interactions go. You are all going to get plenty of crazy school scenarios with team ROSE.

* * *

Roman stepped back arms free-wheeling as a paw swiped the air by his face claws extended. He was grateful that it missed his beautiful face. As the paw passed, he straightened his stance and bludgeoned his cane against the grim's masked head. This attack did nothing but irritate it as its spiked tail whipped toward him only to be stopped by an ice wall created by Olina who behind him. Peridot was slicing at its legs, but the beast's hide was tough.

The panther like grimm hissed and the amount of air passing through is gaping mouth was enough to push all of the students back. Roman backflipped out of the way as the cat grim tried to pounce. A fire blast to the face from Olina and a sword slice from Peridot were enough to distract it for a moment.  
Peridot was quick with her blows but the beast was just as fast. A well placed swipe knocked the green-haired back slamming into a tree next to Lapis. Roman looked at Olina who nodded. The two ran forward. Olina sent yellow sparks from her weapon drawing the beast's attention.

The grimm swung its tail at her. Olina was quick on her feet dodging each attempt. Finally backflipping away from the grim and the fallen Peridot. The beast roared sending a couple of the spines from its back toward the girl. Roman held out his cane toward the girl. She leapt from the projectiles path onto his cane before disappearing into the trees.

Roman used the creature's momentary confusion to shoot a blast into its face sending it backwards. The beast was stunned and Roman hurried to put the muzzle of his gun toward a small gap in its armor. The grim regained awareness knocking Roman aside with a clawed paw. "Roman," Olina called out concerned jumping from the trees between the two drawing the creature's attention with her graceful movements. Her weapons sent wisps of fire and ice toward the beast.

She pointed her weapon at the grim for nothing. She looked shocked at the empty weapon before vaulting over an incoming paw and flipping over the beast giving it a well-deserved kick.

Roman recovered straightening himself as Olina flipped to his side. "Any ideas, best strategist of Signal?" the girl asked panting.

"One or two," Roman admitted, "Here, take this." The orange-haired teen passed a small dust crystal to the blue-haired girl. "Once you get an opening inject it between the armor plates on its head." Olina nodded her understanding as the beast padded toward them.

The panther crouched and lurched forward. Roman leaned forward slightly giving Olina another vaulting surface. The girl used the extra height to spin kick the grim sending it back with a hiss. Roman bounced Melodic Crudgel against the ground toward the sprawling beast sending it more off balance. His weapon returned and he shot another quick blast.

"Now Olina," Roman commanded holding out his cane flat. The girl nodded jumping onto the weapon. Roman pushed the girl up at the same time she pushed off. Olina was up in an instant before coming down at an even faster speed.

Her baton-like weapon stabbed the narrow gap at the base of the creature's neck. A moment of silence was broken by a muffled explosion as the grimm's head imploded. Olina fell to her knees clearly exhustated. Roman also was struggling to catch his breath. "How was that plan, Sweetheart?"  
The girl frown slightly before giving him a smirk, " Not bad, but I bet I can do better."

...

Roman walked onto the stage as his name was called. "Operculina Hamilton," Ozpin continued and Olina took her place beside him standing at attention. "Saturn Rockett," the headmaster called out. The girl with yellow-orange ponytails bounced onto the stage and stood bouncing beside the stiff Olina. She tugged at the other girl's arm, but Olina kept her stance. "And Efin Pommei," at the last name called the ninja-like teen padded onto the stage where Saturn waved at him. "You four retrieved the white pawn pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team ROSE. Led by Roman Torchwick," Ozpin announced.

Roman looked at Olina expecting a negative reaction. The huntress feeling his gaze turned hers to him and gave a small nod. Saturn seemed like nothing changed as she was still waving at the crowd and elbowing Efin. The ninja-teen also bowed his head slightly indicating that he also didn't have a complaint.  
The newly formed Team ROSE exited the stage. They stood near the stage looking up at the stage as the final team was called.

"Opal Mintabie, Peridot Burma, Alexandrite Tanzania, Lapis Baikal," Ozpin called out. Roman watched as one by one each student walked onto the stage. Opal stepped into view first, her appearance perfect like she hadn't spend the day in a forest. Peridot stood next to her confident. Alexandrite looked unamused as he stood with his arms crossed. Lapis had her arms wrapped protectively around her waist as she had her blue eyes trained to the floor. "From this day forward, you will work together as Team OPAL. Led by Opal Mintabie," Ozpin finished.

Roman chuckled to himself as Alex's shoulders slumped. Everything he dreaded on the airship just occured and the teen looked crushed.  
"What's funny?" Olina asked looking up at him.

"Nothing much. Just... this year is going to be interesting," Roman said as Ozpin echoed the same statement.

...

Team ROSE stood at the doorway of their new dorm room. There were four beds all lined up, a couple of dressers, and desks. Saturn the first to step through the door went to one of the beds. "I love it," Saturn said excited as she bounced on the bed. It creaked a little which wasn't very encouraging.

"It seems acceptable," Olina commented, "If not a bit small." She held her head high as she examined the furniture. She prodded it carefully.

"I don't take up much space," Efin said putting his bags down in one of the two closets taking up much of the space.

"Don't worry. It's not like I need to use the closet," Roman said sarcastically pushing the ninja's bags aside to fit his own in the small closet. The result was a large pile nearly reaching the clothes that was hanging above. Olina and Saturn were putting their clothes into one of the two dressers.

"Saturn, if you will kindly keep your clothing in your drawers," Olina said to which Saturn replied with a 'sorry'.

Roman took out some of his clothes from his bags and started to put them in the other dresser. Efin slipped beside the other teen and started to put his own clothes in. The two bumped into each other as they each tried to finish their unpacking. "I'm putting my bags under my bed," Efin said pointing to the bed closest to the restroom.

"Saturn and I will be taking the beds closest to the bathrooms," Olina stated calmly standing in front of the beds as if to protect them from the ninja.

"Yeah, our beds," Saturn said jumping on the bed that Efin had pointing out.

Roman chuckled at the scene as Efin picked another bed this one as far away from the bathroom. He would argue the point, but he just found it amusing that the two girl's were insistent on sleeping by the restroom. The orange-haired teen figured the two would eventually regret that decision.

The ninja teen slipped his bags under the bed and Roman did the same. Unpacking finally done, he plopped onto the free bed. He closed his eyes tiredly.

"You can't sleep yet," Olina said.

"It's still mid-day," Saturn added helpfully.

"Yes, but we need to come up with a bathroom schedule and maybe put up a curtain to separate your side from ours," Olina corrected.

Roman groaned opening his green eyes to see both girls hovering over him. "Efin help me out here," Roman said looking at the ninja-like teen. Efin looked up from his sketchbook, pencil in hand.

"Don't look here. I think she has a point," he said before turning his amber eyes back to his drawing. "It would be proper."

Roman sat up as Saturn, now bored with the conversation bounced to Efin. She was trying to look over his shoulder to peek at whatever he was drawing. The ninja closed the sketchbook much to Saturn's disappointment. "Well," Olina asked.

RWBY~RWBY~RWBY

Alex sat on his bed shaking his head as Opal started posting up posters and setting up drapes. "This room has to look perfect," she said as she fussed with a painting.

"I brought a vase and some flowers," Lapis said softly, but the leader didn't hear as she busied herself decorating.

"Opal," Peridot called out causing the other girl to stop. Opal faced Peridot as she continued, "Lapis said she has a vase and flowers."

"That would be perfect," Opal said. Alex put his face in his hands and wondered if it was too late to go to Atlas instead.

"You look like you're about to die," Peridot's voice said and Alex lifted his head. The taller girl gave a knowing smile.

"Her as a leader; we're all about to die," Alex said.

Peridot chuckled, "Give her a chance. She may surprise you."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hello everyone, we hope you are doing well. This story will probably be renamed, but my brother and I are still discussing it.

-Mr. Ruffles- Thanks for the compliment. Honestly, we were having the hardest time with the fight scene. We also feel bad for Alex, but it is amusing to torture him a little. But he will accept the cookie gratefully.

* * *

Roman sat in the mostly empty classroom. Efin was sitting in the shadows in the corner of the room; Saturn was sitting beside him chatting away. Roman wasn't close enough to actually catch the words that the girl was spewing. The ninja didn't look opposed to the conversation, so Roman supposed that she wasn't discussing anything of importance. Other than Team ROSE, there was no other person in the lecture hall.

"Did we have to come so early?" Roman asked Olina who was sitting next to him. He would have preferred to sleep in or wander the hall rather than sit in a classroom. The girl was setting her supplies in a perfect order.

"To get on the teacher's good side," Olina responded, "And if you aren't five minutes early, you're late."

Roman put his feet on the seat in front of him. "So are your parents in the military or something?" Roman asked referencing the whole punctual comment.

"Actually, just my father. He is a high ranking officer in the Altasian military," Olina responded she lifted her head with pride.

"That explains the whole boring stick-in-the-mud routine," Roman responded to which Olina huffed. "Grimm Studies," Roman noted pointing to the writing on the chalkboard, "this is going to be the best class." Olina cleared her throat and Roman looked at her; she looked pointedly at his feet. "I'm not bothering anyone, sweetheart," Roman said. He motioned to the empty classroom.

Olina pinched the bridge of her nose annoyed, but didn't comment further. She opened a book and started to read. "I've never had students this excited for learning. You'll make fine huntresses and huntsmen," a jolly voice said as the teacher entered. Olina gave Roman a 'I told you' look as she closed her book. Roman narrowed his green eyes at the smug look. The professor strode to the front of the lecture hall.

"Hi," Saturn said waving from her desk. She stood up leaning forward as if she was afraid the professor couldn't see her.

The mustached professor waved back. "It's nice to meet you," the professor said straightening his burgundy suit. His portly body didn't seem to affect the fit of the military-like top.

"Professor Port," Olina called raising a hand. "Will you be handing out syllabi?" the bluenette asked.

"Teacher's pet," Roman grumbled. The girl didn't hear the comment as she lowered her hand.

"Excellent question. I'll hand it out as soon as class starts," Professor Port answered. At this point several voices came from the hall. Students began filing in taking most of the seats. Roman watched the door waiting for Alex's team to enter. "Oh-ho, that's the bell. Students, Huntsmen, Huntresses," Port said loudly winking at the last bit to Saturn. Efin looked unamused next to the huntress. "This is Grimm Studies. Here is your syllabus," Port said this as he dropped a large stack of papers on the student in the corner.  
"Now listen to my riviting tale of danger," Port said. Roman listened for about five minutes before he zoned out. The professor was going on and on about his own adventures. Olina dutifully took notes. Roman took his feet off the seat in front of him just to put his head in one hand trying to sleep. The bell couldn't ring fast enough.

A constant jabbing at his side woke Roman up. He opened his green eyes annoyed looking at the source of the poking. Olina held her pencil in her hand about to stab him again with it. "I'm awake, Olina. Stop poking me," Roman complained.

"Class is over," the girl said simply getting up from her seat and gathering her notebook. She held the book close to her body waiting for Roman to get up.

"I heard you snore all the way over at my seat," Saturn said bouncing over to the pair. She pointed to the seat that she was sitting in to emphasize the point. Efin slunk behind the girl quietly.

"Not really," Efin clarified, "I couldn't tell that you fell asleep." He looked at Roman sympathetically. "Professor Port was kind of difficult to listen to," the ninja like teen said picking at the wrappings around his head messing his black hair.

"We should be getting to Professor Oobleck's class," Olina commented marching past Roman's chair. The teen sighed getting to his feet to follow the girl who had already left the classroom.

"Who's the leader here, sweetheat?" Roman asked leaning toward the bluenette.  
The girl stopped and pivoted to face the leader.

"I told you not to call me sweetheart," Olina said narrowing her eyes at him. The two probably looked absolutely ridiculous with the immense height differences.

"Fight, Fight, Fight," Saturn cheered as she pumped her fist. She hovered nearby cheering.

"Shouldn't we be going to class?" Efin asked trying to dispel the tension that was mounting. Olina turned away without a comment continuing her march to the next classroom. Saturn seemed disappointed, but quickly cheered up again. She skipped past the blue-haired huntress, her ponytails bouncing.

Roman walked beside Olina and Efin kept to the back as they walk through the hall. A loud collection of voices echoed down the hall as team OPAL bounded down the hall nearly colliding with Saturn.

"Are we late?" Opal asked as the rest of her team paused trying to catch their breath. They were knelt over with their hands on their knees.

"Yes, by a whole class," Roman said pointing out the empty classroom they left.

"You're suuuuper late," Saturn added helpfully, "Professor Port was so mad." She said this cheerfully nodding her head as if to agree with herself.

"He wasn't," Efin corrected as he appeared near the yellow girl. "Did you overslept your alarm?" He asked the colorful team in front of him.

Alex at this point straightened to his full height to scowl at his leader, "No, somebody decided that they needed to redecorate." Peridot looked amused while Lapis looked slightly embarrassed.

"The room was ugly and needed a lot of help," Opal said trying to justify her actions. Roman watched as the two started to argue whether or not the room needed the redecoration.

"You didn't miss anything important," Roman said, "Just a pompous huntsman recounting his tales of glory."

"It is important if you don't want to get eaten by a Beowolf," Olina commented smartly before marching past the late team. Her tone wasn't angry, more like frustrated. He chuckled to himself before catching sight of Olina leaving the group with Efin trailing after her.

"You're going to be late again if we don't hurry," Roman said jogging to catch up with Olina and Efin. "Race you," he called out to his the challenge, Saturn and Olina picked up their pace. Efin just kept his walking pace watching the rest of Team ROSE hurry to Oobleck's class.

The four took seats together with Team OPAL behind them. Roman looked toward the door to see a green blur zip into the room to the chalkboards in front of the class. "Good Morning, class. This is Vale History 101. If you realized you are in the wrong class, it would be best to get out now," the disheveled professor said. A couple of students stood up to go. Roman got to his feet as well before Olina grabbed onto one of his jacket sleeves.

"I was just joking," Roman said rolling his green eyes. He was really going to have to find a way to lighten up the strict girl. Olina sighed but released her grip and Roman sat back down.

* * *

A/N: Hello normally I don't do ending author's notes, but I wanted to say this. My brother and I really wanted a Halloween chapter.. As you might have noticed we are more than a month late for this. But better late than never. So it will be only a snippet.

* * *

Roman tossed his books messily onto the desk before dropping himself dramatically on his bed. Olina marched in calmly stacking her own books neatly before stacking Roman's as well. Roman sat up to look at the girl who continued to straighten the room.

He watched silently as she picked up clothing that didn't quite reach the dirty hamper and papers that seemed to be scattered around the room. Roman got to his feet and picked up a book with the intention to toss it to the ground if only to annoy the huntresses.

"Boo," a loud voice shouted. Olina screamed in shock jumping into the air. Roman found himself with the small huntress in his arms and the book on the ground. He couldn't help the laughs that escaped him as he held onto the now angry Olina. His laughter was joined by Saturn who was the source of the scare. "You should have seen your face," the yellow-haired girl said wiping away imaginary tears.

Olina frowned crossing her arms. "Did you want to get down?" Roman asked, "Not that I mind holding you if you are still scared."

Olina huffed as she turned a bright pink. Roman set down the girl who still look upset. "What's with the outfit, Saturn?" Roman asked pointing at the girl. Saturn was dress in what appeared to be an Ursa costume.

"Is All Grimm's Eve," Saturn said as if it was obvious.

"Saturn insisted that we all dressed up," Efin's voice came from Saturn's right unseen. Olina jumped again.

"Is your costume really that bad?" Roman asked knowing that the other huntsman's semblance always acted up when he was embarrassed.

"No it isn't. Efin is just being silly. Come on, Efin. Show'em," Saturn insisted. There was a sigh before the ninja-like teen faded into view. From the white-bone like mask to the black paws, it was obvious that Efin was a Beowulf. "See it's not that bad," Saturn said. "I got costumes for you two as well," Saturn said pulling two hangers from seemingly nowhere.

...

Roman didn't even know how the girl managed to convince him to do this. He knocked on the door in front of him. Alex opened the door looking at the four students at the door. "What are you supposed to be?"

"A griffin," Roman answered.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Hello everyone. Yes, we are alive. The holidays are a bit busy as I am sure you know. With family visiting and having to prepare for multiple parties, we have finally had time to sit and write. Oh, that wasn't the only thing we had time to do. I, Chilly, have drew team ROSE. Now I am not an artist so please don't laugh, but if someone wants to redraw them...I will have no complaints. On another side note, the holiday extras are not in chronological order with the story so while I have a Christmas short for you, the main story is still at the first week or so of the school year.

-Mr. Ruffles- Hello again, thanks for reviewing. Port is definitely something; he actually reminds me of one of my teachers. Olina and Roman are an interesting pair, but yes that does seem like something Alex would do. And I take that as a challenge. We'll try to make the chapters longer.

* * *

Roman sat at the lunch table across from Olina who had an open book beside her plate. Efin had his sketchbook propped against the table, his plate was empty. "I'm going to go to the room," Saturn shouted holding up her tray that was piled high with more food than she could ever eat.

Roman gave the girl an odd look as she didn't say anything more but ran out of the cafeteria. "That's weird," Roman stated out loud.

"Saturn is weird herself," Olina stated flipping a page and writing notes. Her violet eyes looked up once to see Roman's reaction. Roman shrugged not really able to contradict that statement.

"You might have a point, Roman," Efin stated putting down his sketchbook. "All this week she has been taking all her meals in the room."

"Perhaps she just likes the peace and quiet," Olina suggested closing her textbook.

"This is Saturn we are talking about," Roman reminded.

"Touché," Olina conceded.

"Let's follow her," Roman suggested picking up his own empty plate. Efin and Olina followed suite. The orange-haired teen deposited his plate in the correct tray before leaving the cafeteria.

The leader of team ROSE slunk his way though the halls as if to be super sneaky. Olina merely rolled her eyes but continued her march behind the teen. The trio stopped at the door to their joint room.

"I hear voices," Efin stated making the other two look at him. "I have really good hearing," he clarified.

"What if it is a boy?" Olina stated, "She is hiding a relationship from us." Her violet eyes looked like she just found a gem. "I bet it is the guy from history. He's pretty cute."

Roman only needed that bit of information to kick down the door Olina also jumping forward hoping to catch something interesting.

Both students stood blinking at the scene in front of them. Saturn froze stepping in front of another girl. "I could have told you that the voices were both female," Efin said stepping into the room.

"Who is that, Saturn?" Roman asked louder than the ninja teen. He pointed to the girl behind Saturn.

The yellow-haired teen chuckled a little. "Uh, that's an easy explanation, but don't get mad at me." Saturn stepped away from the girl who held onto a roll tightly. "Everyone, this is my sister. Neo, this is my team," Saturn introduced. The girl narrowed her pink and brown eyes at the trio. "I am so sorry that I didn't say anything earlier, but she has no other place to go. I basically take care of her and now that I'm here, she was going to be alone. She's too little to take care of herself. Besides, I don't want to be anywhere without her and I thought why not bring her along."

"Saturn," Roman interrupted the girl's rant. Saturn quieted down waiting for her leader to shout or something. The teen looked at the small girl with brown and pink hair. "This is the sort of thing you tell your team. We could have helped you hid her," he added.

"Roman, can I speak with you...alone?" Olina said pulling his white sleeve causing him to stumble out of the room. "What are you doing? If we are caught, we will get expelled."

"Come on, Olina. You heard Saturn. Neo has no where else to go," Roman pointed out. Olina scowled.

"Fine, but if we are expelled, don't make me tell you that I told you so," the blue-haired huntress said.

"I knew you'll come around," Roman stated reentering the room. Efin, Saturn, and Neo all turned to face the returning duo. "Welcome to Beacon, Neo," Roman stated.

RWBY~RWBY~RWBY~

Alex didn't know how he survived the week, but he was glad that it was almost over. It was finally Friday and the last class to boot. He entered Cherri Woods's class and took a seat in the auditorium like seating.

Opal sat at the end of the row looking at her reflection in the mirror that she seemed always to carry around with her. Lapis was speaking softly to Periodot. The green-haired teen tapped Roman's shoulder. The orange-haired teen turn around to face him.

"Hey, stranger. I haven't seen you for a week," Roman greeted.

"The girls have kept me busy," Alex admitted, "We have been doing group exercises."

Roman smirked, "You go man. Being on the same team as three beautiful girls, you sure are lucky." Alex was going to agree until he notice the death glare he was getting from Roman's partner. He didn't have time to warn his friend.

"What do you mean by that, Roman?" Olina asked.

"You're pretty too," Roman responded and Alex had to face-palm. He had to thank his lucky stars that he was picking up on the inner workings of a female mind from his teammates.

"Roman Torchwick, that is not what I meant," the girl stated her normally measured tone becoming angry. "Nevermind, it isn't worth it," she huffed turning away from the huntsmen.

"Miss Hamilton, Mister Torchwick," Professor Woods called out, "thank you for volunteering."

Alex put a hand over his mouth trying to keep from laughing, "Mister Tanzania and Miss Mintabie, you'll be joining them."

All four teens stepped down the stairs onto the stage. "So far this week, we have been concentrating on one-on-one battles. This is the point of the class when I encourage teamwork and the best way to do so is to have team battles. There is no point in knowing how to fight if you can't fight with others. With that in mind, good luck." The red-haired professor stepped down.

Alex's hands hovered over his pistols. Opal held up her fists the rings that lined her fingers shifted to form gloves. Alex looked at his opponents. Olina held her baton-like weapon with the point pointing downward; Roman was just smirking leaning on his cane.

Alex shot first sending a volley of bullets toward the pair. Each bullet was stopped by a wall of ice. Opal punched through the ice sending large pieces through the air. Roman was there with his weapon in hand striking the girl across the head.

Alex shot at his friend who spun his cane to deflect the bullets. The ground beneath Alex's feet became slippery and the teen struggled to keep his feet beneath him. He look at the blue-haired girl who turned the floor to ice.

Opal sensing her partner's distress shot a fire ball from her now glowing gloves. Now distracted, Opal didn't see the two opponents strike. Olina sending a blast of wind that stuck Roman's fire dust. The pearl-haired girl didn't have a chance in the resulting explosion.

Alex shot bullets at the pair knowing that Opal's aura had dropped into the red. The two dove but not without taking a couple of hits.

Alex kept his violet eyes on both training one pistol on each. The two looked at each other before nodding. Olina spun stabbing her baton into the ground. The entire stage iced over causing Alex to almost lose his balance. He shot at the pair, but they seemed to be able to skate over the ice with ease.

Roman held his hand out to his partner who grabbed it and spun the orange-haired teen toward the gunslinger. The two collided knocking Alex off his feet. Roman towered over his striking anywhere with his cane.

"That's enough you two," Cherri Woods stated as she got onto the stage. "Good Job, Roman and Olina." At the praise, Olina seemed to beam and Roman gave her a thumbs-up. "Alex and Opal, I suggest that you two work on your teamwork." The four stepped off the stage.

Alex tried not to be disappointed at the result of the battle. It wasn't a surprise. He heard the professors enough. Team ROSE was the team to beat while OPAL was taking the rear.

"We'll do better next time. We just need to practice more," Opal said. Alex clenched his fist trying not to shout at her. He wasn't able to focus on the rest of the class and when the bell rung, he stomped out of the hall as fast as he could.

"Alex," a calm voice called out. Alex turned to find himself looking up at Peridot. "Are you alright?"

"No, all those trust and team building exercises aren't working. We still are the butt of all the jokes. I'm tired of not getting anywhere," Alex shouted.

Peridot sighed, " Winning every fight isn't everything."

"It is when your life is on the line," Alex countered.

"True, but at the moment. We are learning. We have the opportunity to make mistakes and to lose. We have a chance now to learn about each other and making lasting friendships. While Opal's team exercises are not helpful in fighting, they are definitely good at drawing us closer together."

"I suppose you're right," Alex stated. "Maybe we can alternate between training exercises and team building."

Peridot smiled, "I'm sure Opal will agree with that. Lapis and I are going to study for Port's test." The green-haired girl waved as she joined Lapis.

RWBY~RWBY~RWBY

Roman could almost feel Olina's accusing stare. "I swear if we are expelled.." she trailed off her threat. Roman almost wanted to laugh at how serious she was taking Ozpin's invitation to his office. He really needed to get with Saturn to get the other girl to relax and have fun. He continue to think to himself remembering a club that he had passed one night. Maybe he could convince his team to go next weekend. Although it would probably be best not to tell them where they were going first; the club was in a shady part of town.

"You're such a worry wart. We'll be perfectly fine. I mean it's not like the explosion was that big. I'm sure beacon has had dust explosions all the time," Saturn said blowing off the whole ordeal. Roman chuckled at the memory of the mishap in the courtyard, but he suppose playing keep away with dust wasn't the best idea.

"The explosion destroyed the bench dedicated to the students who have lost their lives during initiation," Olina stated crossing her arms.

"To be honest, it was fixed soon enough. The new teaching assistant used her semblance," Efin stated calmly, "I'm sure we'll be fine."

The elevator dinged before the doors slid open stopping the conversation. Roman stepped out of the elevator first and the rest of the team followed. He could feel Olina shift nervously beside him. Saturn still had her almost constant smile and Efin was still and calm.

"I'm glad that all of you made it," Ozpin stated looking at the students. Roman was surprised that Olina hadn't fainted yet with how long she was holding her breath. "This year I am performing interviews of all the incoming teams. The faculty and I want the best environment for you and to help you transition. Although I will admit, it seems as though you four have had no trouble transitioning; I dare say you have thrived. So I ask you, Team ROSE, how has this school been treating you?"

Roman burst out laughing when Olina's not-so-subtle relieved sigh overtook the ticking of the clocks.

* * *

A/N: now a little bit of Christmas fun

* * *

Roman looked over his team as they trudged through the snow. Olina seemed to be the only one who seemed comfortable with the ice keeping her footing. Efin seemed to be the one who was most affected his shivers clearly visible. Saturn was bouncing around a bundled Neo pointing out the glittering lights.

"Why don't we just get an artificial tree? It would keep longer," Olina asked pointing to nearby stores.

"Because I am the one buying so I get to choose," Roman replied as the team entered the tree farm.

"Oh we should get this one," Saturn said dancing around a monster of a tree. The rest of the teens looked up at the giant.

"I don't think that would fit in the room, Saturn," Efin stated. The yellow-haired girl hummed to herself before darting to another tree. Roman blew on his cold fingers trying to warm them as he and the rest of the team searched for the perfect tree. Saturn was pointing at the tallest trees bouncing around them. Olina insisted on choosing one of the 'bargain' trees which looked half dead. Efin seemed rather uninterested in the whole process and was trying to remain neutral.

Roman after ten minutes was already frustrated. A small tug at his sleeve drew his attention. He looked down at Neo who pointed at a tree in the corner of the enclosure. "How about this one?" He asked drawing the attention of his team.

Saturn was the first to bounce to it almost tackling the poor tree. She circled the tree twice before shouting, "It's looks tall enough. We need a tall tree for all the ornaments. And the popcorn chains. I love popcorn chains; you can eat them after you are done with them. Neo and I always ate the popcorn chains before Christmas. Speaking about eating, we need to put candy canes on the tree as well."

"I think the tree looks good. It is full enough and will fit in the dorm nicely," Efin provided interrupting Saturn when she paused to take a breath.

"The price seems reasonable as well," Olina added turning over the price tag.

Neo raised her hand. "Neo actually was the one to pick it out," Roman stated putting a hand on the shorter girl's head. The team congratulated Neo for finding the perfect tree. The team bought the tree and carried it back to the dorm room.

Roman and Efin, being the tallest, set the tree in the corner of the room. To conserve space, the beds were pushed to the walls. The five teens stood back before pulling out a small box each. Roman looked at the small amount of ornaments he had brought from home; a small handprint from when he was a kid, an ornament with a picture of his family, and a mask from a play he had seen in Minstral to name a few. Roman hung all of the ornaments taking a long glance at the picture of his parents.

He turned his attention to his teammates as they each put up their own ornaments. Olina hung up several glass ornaments that looked more like art than ornaments. She cradled a single ornament before looking his direction. "Roman, can you put this toward the top," she asked holding out the ornament that she seemed to be protecting. The huntsmen took the glass heart pretending to drop it just to see the stiff girl react. The startle gasp was almost as funny as the unamused glare. "Calm down, Olina," Roman said hanging the glass heart on one of the top branches ensuring that it was secure. He caught the words engraved on it, ' _Daisy Hamilton-_ _When she had passed, it seemed like the ceasing of exquisite music.'_ The leader didn't say anything, but the girl gave him a grateful smile.

Saturn nearly knock the two over as she and Neo spun their strung popcorn around the tree. Efin kept out of the way only hanging up a single pawprint ornament. The star was put on last and the five took a step back to look at their tree. "I think we forgot the lights," Efin stated breaking the proud moment. The four other teens groaned at the realization.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Happy New Year everyone. Thank you Timeaccel and Brooke Vengeance for following and favoriting this fic. So I hope you are all doing well. In honor of New Years, we have decided on spilling the beans on the inspiration of the members of ROSE.

First, Roman. Originally my brother and I thought he represented or drew inspiration from a Roman Candle (I guess, he was supposed to be a character off of Pinocchio at least according to Wiki).

Next, Operculina (Olina) Hamilton. Her name is the scientific name for a Morning Glory, both a flower and a firework.

Saturn Rockett. This is fairly obvious. She is inspired by the Saturn Rocket firework.

Lastly, Efin Pommi. His first name translates from Yoburo to Smoke and his last name from Finnish to Bomb. Other words a Smoke Bomb, another firework.

-Mr Ruffles- Thank you for your kind words. My brother always is excited to read your reviews. And yay, Neo. My brother said it would be very funny to have Neo be Saturn's adoptive sister just due to the drastically different personalities. Truth be told, I haven't seen many fics with Junior in it as well. We'll be sure to give Prof. Woods some personality.

* * *

Roman woke up to the sound of Saturn chatting with someone. He opened his eyes slowly and sat up. "I'm saying Neo that we can't wake them up. Roman likes sleeping in when there isn't any classes," Saturn's voice said rather loudly. Roman didn't hear another response so he opened his eyes to see why it was quiet. A pair of brown and pink eyes stared back. Above the girl's dual colored hair was a bucket of water. Roman never got of his bed faster getting away from the onslaught of undoubtingly ice water. Neo looked disappointed turning to her next target. Roman leaned back against the desk in the room. He barely glanced at Olina who was reading a textbook and taking notes.

His attention was on Neo who padded silently to Efin's bed and dumped the cold water on the ninja teen who still had the wrapping on his head. The teen jumped to the headboard with a hiss. All four teens paused staring at the teen who was balancing on the headrest. He cleared his throat and stepped to the floor. The other members of the team kept staring at him while the ninja teen tried to act like everything was normal.

Feeling the gaze of the teens, Efin's face turned a bright pink as he started fading from view. "You're disappearing!" Saturn shouted panicking. " Oh wait, I got it. That's your semblance, right? That's cool. You have to be the best at hide-and-seek. My semblance is cool too so is Neo. She has illusions; she can dress up like anyone. It is fun on Halloween."

"Yes, Saturn this is my Semblence," Efin's voice came from the empty space in front of the bed. He didn't sound exasperated, but his voice was clearly embarrassed. "It tends to act up..."

"When you are embarrassed," Roman finished for the bashful teen. The other male made a noise of agreement, grateful that he didn't have to explain fully. "Moving on, I planned a big day in Vale. Since none of you are from Vale, I think it would be great if you saw the neat things around Vale." Roman said this proudly looking around at his teammates' reactions.

"I love that idea. We can go shopping and eat ice cream. You like ice cream, don't you Neo? I love ice-cream. My favorite is rocky road," Saturn began to ramble as Efin started to come back to the visible spectrum. She was bouncing at the thought while the ninja became more opaque. Roman couldn't see Olina as she was behind him, but Neo seemed interested in the idea.

"I actually have plans. I have somewhere to be," Efin responded as he finally appeared in front of the teens. He looked regretful that he had said plans.

"Aww, you're no fun. Do you not like us? Do we bore you? Do you hate us? What do you have to do? Is it fun? Can we go?" Saturn asked quickly her emotions going from sad to curious. She held onto the other teen's arm, tugging him coaxing an answer from the huntsman.

"Saturn, I think what Efin has to do is private," Olina stated looking up from her notes. Saturn looked to the ninja teen looking betrayed. Efin nodded his head slowly but looked apologetic.

"We can hang out next weekend in Vale," Efin stated trying to comfort the sad Saturn. "I promise," he added putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm holding you to that," Saturn said. Neo gave the teen a 'I-got-my-eye -on-you' motion in a threatening manner that didn't match her small frame. The ninja looked at from one to the other before looking to his leader for help. Roman chuckled at the scene before getting down to the plans he had created for the weekend.

"Hey Saturn," Roman called drawing her attention to him and away from the ninja teen. "We should head to Vale now before all the stores close."

"How about Neo?" Olina asked stepping to the shorter girl. The girl with the two-toned hair glared at the huntress. "We can't exactly take her out without anyone catching us," she added. Neo didn't look amused at the other girl's stern tone.

"Neo and I already thought of it. Show her Neo," Roman said pointing at the younger girl. With a smug smirk, the girl's hair shifted colors to a dark blue. She gave Olina a wink before changing her eyes into a violet. "See she can pose as you and you get to continue studying. It is a win-win," Roman stated. He smiled at Olina who had an unreadable face.

"I guess you have thought of everything," Olina stated softly, "you have thought of everything." Neo nodded giving the girl a thumbs up.

"Then what are we waiting around for?" Saturn said, "Let's go. We're loosing daylight." The yellow-haired girl grabbed the disguised Neo and Efin and pulling them to the door. "Have fun Olina. You can teach us later. Come on, Roman." Roman watched the linked trio exit the dorm room before turning to his partner.

"See you later," Roman stated as she made her way to the desk. She gave him a small wave before Roman followed the rest of the team.

RWBY~RWBY~RWBY

Olina watched the door close behind her partner and looked down at her detailed notes. It was a schedule of thing to do in Vale. She had been planning this all week, but now it seemed that she would have to hold onto it. She put it neatly in her personal notebook. The blue-haired huntress then opened her textbook and started reading ahead for Grimm Studies. After an hour of note taking, the girl thought it was safe to move to the library to pick out a couple of novels to read and maybe catch the last minutes of Vale's news broadcast.

The girl left the room shutting the door behind her softly. She walked the empty halls knowing that most of the students went to the city and explore their new home. "You seem a bit distress Miss Hamilton," a wise voice said causing the girl to jump and turn to the sound. Ozpin stood his cane in one hand and his mug in the other. "My apologies. I didn't intend to startle you," he added taking a sip from his mug. Olina didn't think he looked apologetic, but she hadn't been around the headmaster enough to know.

The girl smiled at him, "No harm done. I should have been paying attention." She tried not to appear antsy.

"Did you get tired of the city?" Ozpin asked. Olina gave a confused look at the statement. "I thought I saw you leave with your team earlier so I was a little concern when I saw you back so soon."

Olina tried not to panic. Her team was relying on her to keep them out of trouble. It was a simple lie, she told herself and tried not to think it was the headmaster she was lying to. "Oh, I just wanted to see them off. I actually wanted to study in the library maybe catch the last of the morning news," she stated with a stiff smile.

"I see," Ozpin said with a much more natural smile, "I better not take anymore of your time then. Have a good day, Miss Hamilton." The headmaster walked away his boots striking the floor.

Olina let out a sigh before continuing to the library. She pushed the doors open to find that the library was also devoid of students. The blue-haired huntress walked past the empty desk to the viewing room. The room's many televisions had no body in front of them. Olina lowered her head and picked a seat in front of one screen. She flipped on the station to a random news one.

" _This just in. Ghira Belladonna, leader of the White Fang has stepped down. He refused to provide us with a statement. With the loss of such a great leader, one has to wonder what will happen to the Faunus Civil Rights Movement."_ Olina watched the rest of the story with interest; she didn't really have an opinion on Faunus due to her lack of actual Faunus acquaintances.

"Wow, you really are as dull as everyone says you are," a high-pitch voice drawled. Olina turned to face whoever entered. A pink-haired girl leaned against the head of seat Olina was in. Olina blinked a little confused as she looked up at the girl.

"Hello, Coral," Olina replied to the girl getting to her feet. She pivoted to face the girl.

"You are as exciting as watching paint dry. No wonder your team just left you. I would too. I mean you can only handle so much," the girl continued. Olina looked away refusing to let the other girl's words hurt.

"I guess I'll be seeing you around then. Maybe the rest of your team will be there," Olina stated walking past the taller girl.

"No wonder no one likes you. Just an annoyance," Coral stated as Olina retreated from the library.

RWBY~RWBY~RWBY

Roman watched the two sisters finish their ice-cream cone. The day had started pretty well so far. Roman led the two girls from the ice-cream parlor. "From now on, let's try not to buy anything else," Roman stated making a dramatic scene as he looked at his thin wallet, "My poor wallet won't be able to handle it."

"I'm sorry, but I just had to try a little bit of everything," Saturn said, "it was suuuper delicious and the sprinkles looked so pretty."

Neo tugged on Roman's elbow. "Yes, short stuff," Roman responded looking down at the smaller girl. If looks could kill, Roman would be six feet under. Neo's mismatch eyes spelt death. "I'm sorry about that I didn't mean anything by that statement."

Neo lifted one finger as if to tell him that she would forgive him this one time. "Aww, Neo must like you. If anyone else said that to her, they wouldn't be around to say it again. Maybe because you bought her ice-cream. Either way, you're lucky, Saturn said cheerfully and Roman questioned her mental state to mention murder so flippantly.

Neo tapped her foot to get the two students' attention. The two looked at the dual colored girl who pointed to a wealthy man with a smirk. Roman watched as the small girl walked nonchalantly by the man. Her hand was so fast Roman nearly missed the movement. The girl returned to the pair to show off her prize. "Look, now we can continue having fun. Is there a bowling alley nearby? Or maybe an arcade?" Saturn asked unfazed.

Roman chuckled at the blonde girl. "Nice Neo, but I bet I can do better. Point at a person and I'll show you," Roman bragged. Neo gave a mischievous grin before pointing to a man. The large, muscular man stood intimidatingly crossing his arms across his hairy chest. Roman could tell the man was a Faunus from his yellow eyes. "No problem," Roman responded easily. He was going to show the ice-cream themed girl that he could steal just as well as her.


	8. Chapter 8

Hello everyone, Chilly here. I wanted to write this to tell everyone that this fic will be put on a hiatus. I am unsure when this will end or be updated. My brother has lost interest in this fic and hasn't been up for writing in general. This is not any fault of anyone, just that he has found other things that drew his interest. I can't promise to update this fic, but it may be updated if I feel so inspired.

Thank you for reading the handful of chapters and reviewing. I am sorry for this.


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